Ferris State University’s Board of Trustees approved a new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking for Kendall College of Art and Design on Friday, Feb. 22 at its regular meeting held at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center.
David Rosen, president of Kendall, noted the increased popularity of printmaking as an academic program. Kendall currently has 33 students enrolled in the printmaking strand of the Drawing/Printmaking program. No other art school in the country offers printmaking as part of drawing, and Rosen said he believes that the addition of this program is consistent with Kendall’s mission of preparing students for professional lives as artists and designers, and in particular, printmaking will aid Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and other KCAD programs.
“In our age, artists hunger for community and printmaking offers a communal experience,” Rosen said. “Unlike other printmaking programs, Kendall’s printmaking will not sit apart from the other creative disciplines, but it will give energy to and share energy with them. That is the beauty of Kendall, a true conservatory art school with a rich history of excellence in each program and collaboration among the programs.”
Graduates of the BFA in Printmaking would have the option to pursue a graduate degree or begin careers familiar to other fine arts majors, including gallery artists, owners or managers, as well as work in museums as curators or managers of arts organizations. Graduates of the program can pursue careers in advertising and marketing, bookmaking, textiles, and in garment industries.
“Printmaking is both an ancient and a newly-thriving area for fine art and design,” Rosen said. “On one hand, printmaking involves using age-old artisanal methods of reproduction, such as intaglio or screen printing that create a link between artist and image, as well as artist and viewer. This is prized in an age of the mass and virtual reproduction. It also allows students to use new technologies, such as laser printing and three-dimensional printmaking, which stretch the boundaries of the medium.”
The National Association of Schools of Art and Design has indicated that current staff, space, and equipment are adequate to move from the program’s current status as a concentration in the Drawing BFA to a stand-alone BFA program at Kendall. Rosen anticipates that the growth of the program could ultimately require an additional full-time faculty member in three years.
Trustees also accepted administrative reports from the Academic Senate, Student Government and Ferris President David Eisler.
Friday’s meeting of the trustees was the first meeting to be held with the participation of new trustees Erin Brown, of East Lansing, and Lori Gwizdala, of Bay City. The meeting took place under the leadership team of Chairman Gary Granger, of Byron Center; Vice Chair Sueann Walz, of Big Rapids, and Secretary Dr. William Lakin, of Clinton Twp.
In other news, trustees approved:
- appointments and reappointments to the boards of directors of FSU-Authorized Charter School academies;
- conditional authorization for the Muskegon Monterssori Academy for Environmental Change, in Muskegon, and the Oakland-Macomb Montessori Academy, in Warren;
- charter school contract reauthorizations and changes for Connor Creek Academy East, in Roseville; Lighthouse Academy, in Kentwood; Michigan Connections Academy, in Okemos; and New Bedford Academy, in Lambertville;
- recommendation of a non-renewal of contract with Pierre Toussaint Academy in Detroit;
- honorary degrees for Dr. Joel C. Robertson, Doctorate of Health Services; Richard L. Antonini, Doctorate of Business and Industry; and Lupe Ramos-Montigny, Doctorate of Public Service, at the May 2013 commencement ceremonies;
- an honorary degree from Kendall College of Art and Design for Murray Tinkelman. Tinkelmnan will be awarded a Doctor of Arts on Saturday, May 11; and
- 11 sabbatical leave requests.
The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for Friday, May 10 in Big Rapids.